Heat exchangers may be employed in conjunction with gas turbine engines for transferring heat between one or more fluids. For example, a first fluid at a relatively high temperature may be passed through a first passageway, while a second fluid at a relatively low temperature may be passed through a second passageway. The first and second passageways may be in thermal contact or close proximity, allowing heat from the first fluid to be passed to the second fluid. Thus, the temperature of the first fluid may be decreased and the temperature of the second fluid may be increased.
Conventional heat exchangers include a large number of fluid passageways, each fluid passageway being formed using some combination of plates, bars, foils, fins, manifolds, support structures, mounting flanges, etc. Each of these parts must be individually positioned, oriented, and connected to the supporting structure, e.g., via brazing, welding, or another joining method. The manufacturing time and costs associated with the assembly of such a heat exchanger are very high and the likelihood of fluid leaks between the fluid passageways or from the heat exchanger in general is increased due to the number of joints formed.
In addition, manufacturing restrictions may limit the number, size, and configuration of heat exchanger tubes that can fit within a restricted space. For example, conventional heat exchangers may include a supply header and a return header for circulating a heat exchange fluid within a plurality of heat exchange tubes. The size of the supply and return headers may be limited due to space restrictions, and the number of heat exchange tubes that can be coupled to those headers can also be limited, e.g., due to manufacturing limitations related to forming the joint between the heat exchange tubes and the headers.
Accordingly, a gas turbine engine with an improved heat exchanger would be useful. More specifically, a heat exchanger for a gas turbine engine that is easier to manufacture and includes features for improved thermal performance and reliability would be particularly beneficial.